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Holistic Guidance - On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen

On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen
 List Price: $40.00
Our Price: $26.40
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Manufacturer: Scribner
Average Customer Rating: Average rating of 5.0/5Average rating of 5.0/5Average rating of 5.0/5Average rating of 5.0/5Average rating of 5.0/5

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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.5
EAN: 9780684800011
ISBN: 0684800012
Label: Scribner
Manufacturer: Scribner
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 896
Publication Date: 2004-11-16
Publisher: Scribner
Studio: Scribner
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Editorial Reviews:
A classic tome of gastronomic science and lore, On Food and Cooking delivers an erudite discussion of table ingredients and their interactions with our bodies. Following the historical, literary, scientific and practical treatment of foodstuffs from dairy to meat to vegetables, McGee explains the nature of digestion and hunger before tackling basic ingredient components, cooking methods and utensils. He explains what happens when food spoils, why eggs are so nutritious and how alcohol makes us drunk. As fascinating as it is comprehensive, this is as practical, interesting and necessary for the cook as for the scholar.
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Summary: a cooks must have!
Comment: "On Cooking and Food" is the tool to obtain the base knowledge nesessary to do food right. This book is a culinary couse unto it's self, you will go to the next level in your cooking with this book.
Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Summary: Why Chemistry is vital for a cook
Comment: The book is wonderful. If you love to cook and wonder why and how foods taste wonderful--or horrible--this the book for you. It explains which methods work and which don't and why they do. Worth every penny. Harold McGee is a good writer which makes the book a pleasant, worthwhile read.
Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Summary: Improved my cooking many times over
Comment: Don't buy this book expecting recipes. Instead, look forward to thousands of little hints on how to make your cooking better couched within the science of why it works. Advice on everything from how to best keep your hard boiled eggs from getting rubbery to how to make good creamy ice cream is in here. Whenever I start making a recipe with new techniques I come back to this book to get advice on how to do it best. Absolutely indispensable if you're teaching yourself how to cook and want to nail down your techniques.
Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Summary: A True Classic
Comment: Not available in bookshops here, it took me a while to track down this much praised book, now in a 2004 updated edition. It can be read at many levels: history, folk lore, chemistry and just marvellous explanations of the 'why' of cooking. It must hold great appeal for anyone with a curiosity about the food we eat and what we do to it, for better or worse.

I found it well written with an easy style, making it a genuine pleasure to read, to skim and to quote. And you will quote. It's that kind of book.

Despite its sober title and apparent depth of research, this is no dreary treatise. The explanations are generally easy to understand and often amusing. While some distant memory of high school chemistry may be useful, the author assumes no knowledge of food sciences on the part of the reader. The last section of the book further brushes up on all the chemistry you have chosen to forget.

Food industry professionals may find the book's format perhaps a bit wandering, making it somewhat clunky for rapid retrieval of specific technical information. As a lay person I can't vouch for its academic rigour, but it does include a long list of references and an extensive index.

A book with over 800 pages about food but with no real recipes does sound daunting, but not so. It's full of those "Wow. So that's why... listen to this!" moments that can get just a little trying for everyone else in the room. I realise how much food instruction I have taken at face value in the past. I will never view the humble egg quite the same way again.

And of course, as an added bonus, the book makes a perfect weight to put on top of the Summer Pudding as it sets. It doesn't even show the stains. McGee really has thought of everything.
Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Summary: Technical but fascinating
Comment: This is probably more than the home cook ever wants to know but what a great reference book! It dispels lots of myths that bedevil the kitchen and are still spouted by too many TV chefs. For factual information it can't be beaten and I keep it to hand for a quick check whenever I am unsure of what to do with a recipe.
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